Email: swb104@psu.edu
Business phone: (814) 865-2549

Research interests:
Executive and managerial decision-making
The alignment of organizations' strategies, structures, and external environments
The measurement of strategy implementation and execution

Recent research:
Recently, I investigated the adoption of second-party (administered by a trade association) and third-party, chain-of-custody
environmental certification among firms in the North American secondary wood products industry, with a particular focus on
the role of executives' perceptions in the decision whether or not to pursue such certification.

In a related investigation, I explored how firms which have already adopted environmental certification implemented the
requirements of certification. I also examined the potential impact of environmental certification upon supply chains both within,
and connected to, the North American secondary wood products industry.

For both of these studies I gathered data via questionnaires and by conducting semi-structured interviews with top management
groups as well as managers responsible for the implementation of certification criteria.

I also recently investigated practices small wood products firms use to align employees with firm strategy. Specifically, I looked
at communications, pay structures, and training. This research was done using semi-structured interviews of CEOs and owners.

Job roles:
Production Processing and Costing Consultant to the secondary wood products industry
Shift Manager for a large cabinet manufacturing facility
Process Improvement Coordinator within the cabinet industry
Quality Assurance role within the cabinet industry
Dimension mill Preventative Maintenance Advisor

Career experiences:
- Assisted in the development of a change management model and guide for small manufacturers
- Developed labor content standards for manufacturing processes by product mix
- Developed a capacity model for finishing operations
- Evaluated labor and material costs of processes to assess outsourcing options
- Involved in planning personnel and process needs to increase production
- Determined optimum materials mix to maintain schedule adherence and desired departmental efficiencies
- Planned, facilitated, and participated in process improvement events
- Assisted in auditing facility wide physical inventory process
- Increased production of a finishing flat line by 1000 sqft/hr (+600 cabinets per day or +12,000 cabinets per month)
- Established a database that is used for determining finishing line capacities and labor and finishing material costs
- Worked with a component supplier to create and manage an incoming quality inspection program
- Assisted in the creation and management of a database used to assess internal error type, source, and magnitude
- Created visual SOPs for critical procedures of key processes and created gauges for in process quality monitoring
- Developed a wood educational packet for marketing and sales personnel
- Managed plant wide production operations (machining, finishing, assembly, shipping) of a shift of 35 employees

Previous education:
M.S. - Forest Resources (physical properties of wood and wood-based materials) - Pennsylvania State University
B.S. - Wood Products Processing and Manufacturing - Pennsylvania State Univeristy

Memberships:
The Academy of Management
The Forest Products Society
The Society of Wood Science and Technology

"Life is lived forward, but understood backward" - Soren Kirkegaard

Joe, the newest addition to our family

The 4th of July kids' parade

Early summer in central Pennsylvania

This page was last updated on 9/20/2008